So my first project ….. 12 people coming for Christmas lunch and our kitchen table is not big enough so I bought a used and slightly knackered oak extendable kitchen table from eBay for £51 and I plan to refinish/restore it.

I don’t want the finish to be too shiny or glossy but as it will be the family table and we have two children under 3 it needs to be a pretty robust finish.

The process as far as I can work out will be as follows:

Sanding to remove the old varnish, marks & dents

Staining (I though I need to figure out if this is really needed)

Treat with penetrating resin (not quite as hard wearing as varnish but easier and more natural looking)

I’m not really sure how to start this, but I really fancy building or making or fixing something. It’s a feeling which has been brewing for a while. I have a short list including hovercraft for my son, radio controlled lawn mower, wooden go kart, squirrel scaring robot and a load of other bits and bobs.

I thought I would document my progress so that if successful then others can learn from my numerous mistakes.